To get up to speed as a new member, Chris Robertshaw decided to look at how government capital projects are managed. To this end he chose the IRIS Project and studied the recent 'Peel options', because, in his words "it is obviously an extremely significant capital project with a history - it’s ongoing today - and it will stretch out before us into the future in one form or another for some time to come".

A few provisions have been removed but the vast majority of the draft Bill (which contains 78 Clauses) is unchanged. Significantly - in over 30 cases - the Home Affairs Department is seeking 'by Order' to self-amend the legislation.

This gives them wide powers to create new offences as and when they please without parliamentary scrutiny. Given that the Isle of Man Constabulary has a presence in that Department there is concern that should the Bill become law, the Police will have an undue influence in the direct formation of this self-amending legislation. Thus the protection afforded the citizen by the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government is breached.

From now on visitors to the Tynwald website will not just be able to see the Tynwald Order Paper in advance of the sitting but will also be able to click through to all the documents which support each item on the Order Paper.